Signing Savvy, Your Sign Language Resource

Where I live in Michigan, our Governor has declared all K-12 schools to close from March 16 to April 5. This causes all types of stresses for parents – work, childcare, meals, and financial stresses. Not to mention, feeling fully unprepared for making sure your child doesn’t academically fall behind during this extended time away from school...

We get this question all the time, "How do you sign _____?" It is easily the most common question anyone asks. However, it can be a tough question to answer because there isn’t a direct translation for every English word. Figuring out the meaning and context of what someone is trying to communicate is the key to picking the right sign (or signs) to use. So if you provide context when asking the question "How do you sign…" you are much more likely to get an accurate answer. Remember, when in doubt, you should fingerspell the word. 

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings. The signs discussed in this article include (1) THILLED vs. EXCITED, (2) PRINT vs. NEWSPAPER, (3) SOLD vs. SELLING, (4) SIGNATURE vs. CONTRACT, and (5) GOVERNMENT vs. FEDERAL.

This article is part of our “Signs That Are Close... But Not the Same” series, which highlights signs that look similar, but have different meanings. The signs discussed in this article include (1) SEVERAL vs. FEW, (2) USE vs. GET USED TO, (3) LONG AGO vs. USED TO, (4) INTRODUCE vs. INVITE, and (5) PROBLEM vs. DIFFICULT.

A Chocolate Moose for Dinner is an illustrated fantasy exploration book of the English language and how fun, yet confusing, it can be for a child (or foreign speaker) to navigate through as they learn the language. The book is discussed and paired with a pre-built Signing Savvy word list to help you get started with learning and signing the vocabulary in the book.

Corduroy by Don Freeman is a beloved classic. It is about a cute, little bear in a department store that so wants to find his forever home with a child. The book is discussed and paired with a pre-built Signing Savvy word list to help you get started with learning and signing the vocabulary in the book.

Little Brown by Marla Frazee is a delightful little story about dogs and their goofy behavior. The book is discussed and paired with a pre-built Signing Savvy word list to help you get started with learning and signing the vocabulary in the book.

Maisy’s Colors by Lucy Cousins is chunky book that is simple and filled with colors for little ones just beginning to learn about the world. The book is discussed and paired with a pre-built Signing Savvy word list to help you get started with learning and signing the vocabulary in the book.

Time For Bed is a classic book by Mem Fox, with beautiful illustrations by Jane Dyer. It explores it's way through different pairs of baby and adult animals, showing them all getting ready to sleep. It is a great language tool to teach the names for baby animals and begin discussions about how they rest at night, just like we do. The book is discussed and paired with a pre-built Signing Savvy word list to help you get started with learning and signing the vocabulary in the book.

My Animals by Xavier Deneux is a very simple animal book. The entire book is in black and white. Research shows that an infant’s ability to see colors is not fully developed at birth, but rather matures between five and six months of age. The book is discussed and paired with a pre-built Signing Savvy word list to help you get started with learning and signing the vocabulary in the book.